Ink lightfastness test
I have made
my own lightfastness test for almost all the ink and pens that I currently own.
This means that it is very random which inks and pens you will find here, I
have never bought a full set of any ink or pens, but I thought that maybe
someone else but me have use for this so I decided to publish the result anyway.
Method and theory
I made
swatches of all ink and pens and put them in a window facing south for three summer
months. Since I am an amateur, I always consider my own testing like this: even
if the product (pen, pencil, ink or paint) doesn't show any proof of fading this
doesn't prove anything for sure. It is only to consider as a chance of being
lightfast. If the samples however show fading of the color, it is safe to say
that it is not lightfast.
Fine liner
Faber
Castell Grip Fine pen 0,4 Violet
Faber
Castell Grip Fine pen 0,4 Brown
Derwent
Graphik Line maker Sepia
Derwent
Graphik Line Painter Graphite
Derwent
Graphik Line Painter Magic
Copic
multinliner Black
Copic multinliner
Cool
Gray
Copic
multinliner Wine
Copic
multinliner Sepia
Rotring
Tikky Graphic Black
Uni Pin
fine line (Mitsubishi) Black
Pilot DR
drawing pen Black
Artline 200
(Shachihata) fine 0,4 Black
Aristo
Geocollege Pigment Liner Black
Staedtler
Pigment Liner Black
Prismacolor
Premier Fine Line Marker Red
Prismacolor
Premier Fine Line Marker Brown
Prismacolor
Premier Brush Tip Marker Brown
Prismacolor
Premier Brush Tip Marker Sepia
(I think)
Sakura
Pigma Micron Drawing Pen Black
Sakura
Pigma Micron Drawing Pen Brown
Sakura
Pigma Micron Drawing Pen Sepia
Sakura
Pigma Micron Drawing Pen Red
Sakura
Pigma Micron Drawing Pen Orange
Sakura
Pigma Micron Drawing Pen, brush tip Brown
Kuretake Zig
Mangaka Drawing Pen Black
Kuretake
Zig Mangaka Drawing Pen Sepia
Kuretake
Zig Mangaka Flexible Sepia
Faber
Castell Grip Fine pen 0,4 is a triangular pen with grip dots for ergonomic
purposes. The ink is water-based. It comes in many colors but I have only
tested two of them. A violet and a brown, the violet one faded completely and
the brown are not far behind. You can still se traces but my guess is that that
would be gone in a mount more or so.
 |
| Faber Castell Grip Fine |
Derwent
Graphik Line maker is water-based and waterproof. According to Derwent also
lightfast but I tested Derwent Graphik line maker in sepia and it did fade.
Derwent
Graphik Line Painter has an opaque paint that is water-based and when dry also
waterproof. Comes in many colors with strange names. The two that I tested is
named Graphite and Magic, both proved to be lightfast according to my testing.
 |
| Derwent Graphik Line painter & maker |
Copic
multiliner is waterproof and according to the company (.too) it is also
lightfast. My testing however shows that the sepia fine liner and brush loses
both in hue (becomes more yellowish) and in value. The wine fine liner also
lost some but not much. The cool gray and black hold however the colors.
 |
| Copic Multiliner |
Rotring
Tikky Graphic is lightfast and waterproof according to the company and my test
confirms that. They are only available in black.
 |
| Rotring Tikky Graphic |
Uni Pin
fine line (Mitsubishi) is a waterproof pen that only comes in black (but quite
many sizes). They did very well in my lightfast testing.
 |
| Mitsubishi Uni Pin Fine Line |
Pilot DR
drawing pen is water-resistant. They have change the printing on the barrel so
this is the old one. My lightfast-testing shows very good results.
 |
| Pilot DR Drawing Pen |
Artline 200
(Shachihata) fine 0,4 are available in many colors but I only had black. I might
need to test this further but there is a slight change in the color. Note that I accidentally spilled some water on the test, so it isn´t water proof :-)
 |
| Artline 200 |
Aristo
Geocollege Pigment Liner is waterproof and lightfast according to the company
and my test supports that.
 |
| Aristo Geocollege Pigment Liner |
Staedtler
Pigment Liner is a waterproof and lightfast according to the company and my
test supports that.
 |
| Staedtler Pigment Liner |
Prismacolor
Premier Fine Line Marker and Brush tip marker (there is also a chisel tip
one). They are archival quality and are
lightfast according to Prismacolor but my testing doesn't supports that
completely. The red fine liner is
slightly loosing color, the sepia (I believe it is, but the color names are not
printed anywhere on the barrel, so I am not sure) that I have in brush tip lost
not so much in value but in hue. It becomes less reddish and more
brownish. The brown in the brush tip
also changed in hue to a more grayish color, which also happened to the fine
liner if not as obvious.
 |
| Prismacolor Premier |
Sakura
Pigma Micron Drawing Pen is available in many sizes and colors. It is archival
and waterproof. I tested seven Micron, five different colors and two different
sizes in black and two different tips in brown. The only one that showed any
color changes at all where the red (in size 0,1). It is a slight change though.
 |
| Sakura Pigma Micron Drawing Pen |
Kuretake
Zig Mangaka Drawing Pen comes in five colors, but I have only tested black and
sepia. It is a water-based ink that is resistant both to alcohol and
watercolor. I think I can detect a slight hue difference in the sepia but
nothing in the black. But I am very uncertain on the sepia.
 |
| Kuretake Zig Mangaka |
Writing pens
I have a
couple of pens that is obvious meant for writing. To be faire to them I made an
own category for them.
Pentel
Tradio has a flexible nib. It is refillable. It is not water resistant and it
has, if only very slightly, faded in the sun.
 |
| Pentel Tradio |
Pilot VPen
is a disposable fountain pen that comes in several colors. It is not water
resistant and it has faded ever so slightly.
 |
| Pilot V-Pen |
